While police chiefs prepare to campaign for the preservation of the long-gun registry, Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, sponsor of C-391, issues a press release saluting the “vast majority” of police officers who oppose the registry. To wit.
While police chiefs prepare to campaign for the preservation of the long-gun registry, Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner, sponsor of C-391, issues a press release saluting the “vast majority” of police officers who oppose the registry. To wit.
“This survey proves what I have been saying all along – that the CACP and the CPA do not, as they claim, speak for Canadian police officers on this issue,” said Candice Hoeppner. “As I have met with police chiefs and front-line officers this past year, I have repeatedly said that police support for maintaining the long-gun registry is far from unanimous; in fact, it seems that the opposite is true – police support to end the registry is overwhelming!…
“Canadian Police Association President Charles Momy appeared at committee this spring and referred to a survey demonstrating police support for the long-gun registry – a survey that he admitted involved just 400 officers,” Hoeppner commented. “This new survey involved over 2600 officers and strongly contradicts Mr. Momy’s position. It seems obvious that a survey sample of 2600 is far more reliable than a survey of 400.”
The survey to which Ms. Hoeppner assigns her finding of reliability was conducted by an Edmonton police officer. From the release announcing his findings, he seems to have placed a notice of some kind seeking replies in a police magazine. In the fourth paragraph of that release, Constable Randy Kuntz is said to be “first to admit the survey is not scientific.”
When Charles Momy, president of the Canadian Police Association, appeared before the public safety committee in May he referenced a survey conducted by the RCMP. Of the 408 respondents, 74% said the registry had aided their work. This would seem to be that survey.